Her Gentler Eyes
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Tetsuya arrives in Karakura Town, badly injured and carrying an unresponsive Byakuya. Even more shocking is the tale Tetsuya tells before losing consciousness. The shopkeeper and shinigami substitute take the two into hiding and set out to unravel exactly who is behind the appearance of a boy who claims to be Byakuya and Hisana's son…yaoi, mpreg Ichigo/Byakuya, Kisuke/Tetsuya
1. By the Code

**Her Gentler Eyes**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Tetsuya arrives in Karakura Town, amidst a raging storm, badly injured and carrying an unresponsive Byakuya. Even more shocking is the tale Tetsuya tells Kisuke and Ichigo before losing consciousness. The shopkeeper and shinigami substitute take the two into hiding and set out to unravel exactly who is behind the appearance of a boy who claims to be Byakuya and Hisana's son…yaoi, Ichigo/Byakuya, Kisuke/Tetsuya.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: By the Code**

The lights in Urahara Kiuske's underground training room flickered for a moment, making the shopkeeper look up from where he knelt at Ichigo's side, healing a long slash that ran nearly the full length of the younger man's sword arm.

"Looks like the storm's getting worse up there," Kisuke commented, Maybe when we're done with this, we should go up and help Tessai and the kids batten down the hatches."

"Sure, no problem," Ichigo answered easily.

"Thanks. That's pretty generous of you, especially considering you got that slash protecting me."

Ichigo gave Kisuke a curious look.

"What were those things, anyway?" he asked, "They kinda looked like a normal hollows, but they were small, real fast, and camouflaged."

Kisuke looked back at him silently for a moment.

"Cause, if you ask me, I'd say that ambush was meant to kill you fast and disappear. As soon as one of those guys cut me, it exploded."

"And I made the rest explode before they found a mark," Kisuke said quietly, "It was an assassination attempt. People try it, from time to time."

"People just try to kill you for no reason? What people?" Ichigo demanded.

"Who said that it was for no reason?" Kisuke asked, "You don't think I piss off a lot of people enough to make'em want to kill me? I mean, remember who you're talking to, here."

Ichigo grinned.

"Right. But you're also the guy everyone depends on as soon as the shit hits the fan. I don't know. If I were those guys, I wouldn't be trying to kill the only guy capable of stopping Aizen."

"You stopped Aizen," Kisuke said, smirking.

"Naw, I beat him up until you could seal his power away," Ichigo insisted, "Kisuke, everyone knows that even though it's my sword that does the strike, it's you who taught me how and when to use that power. If these people you're talking about are striking at you, doesn't that mean that they might wanna do something to me too?"

Kisuke shrugged.

"Comes with being a troublemaker," he said in a casual tone, "Don't worry about it. I'll do some checking and let you know if it's anything we need to do anything about."

"Whatever you say," Ichigo sighed wearily as the shopkeeper finished his healing efforts and sat back against a large rock, "I'm so tired from training right now that I don't know if I could lift Zangetsu again if you asked me to. You know, for it being peacetime, Ywach being dead and Aizen being back in Muken, you'd think I'd get a little vacation or something."

"Yeah, maybe," Kisuke chuckled, "but you don't want the next big bad guy to get the drop on you, right? Gotta think ahead."

"The only thing I wanna think about right now is how much I'm gonna empty your fridge when we go upstairs. I'm starved, and before you suggest it, I'm too starved to walk home, so I'm raiding your food."

"Well, I can't say I'm not responsible for giving you a good workout. Besides, I keep the place well stocked, since we get so many drop ins from Soul Society."

His grin widened as a senkaimon opened near them and two male figures began to appear.

"See what I mean?" he laughed.

But his smile faded and a soft exclamation of dismay escaped him as the two figures staggered through the senkaimon and collapsed in the sandy area in front of them.

"Kisuke!" Ichigo shouted, rushing after the shopkeeper as he flash stepped to the fallen men's side.

One of the two lifted himself and grabbed on to the shopkeeper's arm as he knelt beside them.

"Easy, I've got you," Kisuke reassured the young man.

"B-byakuya-sama!" the shinigami panted weakly, "He stopped breathing!"

"Ichigo, go and get Orihime!" Kisuke said sternly.

"Got it!" Ichigo called back as he dashed up the ladder.

"How are you holding up?" Kisuke asked the conscious man.

"Me?" the man said, his blue eyes blinking in confusion, "Byakuya-sama is the one who is not breathing."

"You're bleeding badly," Kisuke said, rolling Byakuya onto his back and quickly assessing, "I guess you guys ran into some trouble?"

The young man gave him a guarded look.

"Let's start with who you are," the shopkeeper said kindly, "You look familiar. Do we know each other?"

The blue-eyed man shook his head.

"We've never met in person, but I know who you are," he explained, "I don't know if you know of me. I am Kuchiki Tetsuya."

Kisuke's eyes registered instant comprehension. He studied the young man more closely for a moment.

"Yeah, I have heard of you. I may even have sensed your reiatsu around Byakuya before. But then, your job is to stay outta sight most of the time, isn't it?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"I am his bodyguard, and as you can imagine, that job requires that I keep a low profile. After all, if Byakuya-sama's enemies know of me, but not about me, they may be less inclined to chance attacking him."

Kisuke examined the deep wounds in Byakuya's damaged body and shook his head.

"I'd say that whoever did this to Byakuya-san knew both him and you to be able to do this."

A shiver went through Tetsuya's slender body and he went a shade paler as he remembered.

"The ones who did this, planned it meticulously."

"They must really have it in for the Kuchiki family," Kisuke said, his hands working quickly to stop the flow of blood from Byakuya's body.

Tetsuya's face took on a tormented look that elicited an expression of realization from the surprised shopkeeper.

"This…was family?" Kisuke asked slowly.

Tetsuya's face went white and he shuddered as his ears rang loudly and his shaky body began to fail him.

"H-he…he said he was…Byakuya-sama's s-son!" the young man managed.

Kisuke started to answer, but was halted as Tetsuya collapsed beside his motionless cousin.

"Damn it. Not you too…" Kisuke breathed worriedly, extending a hand and wrapping a healing field around Tetsuya, "C'mon Ichigo…hurry."

He continued his desperate efforts for several minutes longer before flash steps sounded and Ichigo arrived, carrying a flustered looking Orihime.

"S-sorry!" she apologized hastily, "I couldn't run fast enough."

"Glad you're here," Kisuke said quickly, "Take care of Byakuya. I'm getting no life signs right now. Tetsuya's hurt bad, but I can handle it so you can put your full attention on Byakuya."

Ichigo watched in dismay as the young woman rushed to the Kuchiki leader's side and knelt, casting her healing shield over him.

"What the hell happened to them?" the ginger-haired man asked anxiously, "Kisuke, did Tetsuya tell you anything more about who did this?"

"Yeah, he did," the shopkeeper answered, looking up at Ichigo for a moment, "It seems to be a family dispute of some kind."

"That doesn't sound good," Ichigo mused, "Family stuff can get pretty nasty. But, aren't the elders pissed about one of their own attacking their leader?"

"I'm not sure yet," the shopkeeper said cryptically, "And until I am, we need to keep a lid on these two having been here. As soon as they're stable, I'm taking them somewhere safer."

Ichigo shook his head in disbelief.

"Somewhere safer than your shop? I didn't know a place could be safer than here."

"It's usually the safest place around," Kisuke agreed, "But if this is a family dispute and the leader's been attacked, then whoever did this is likely to expect Tetsuya would bring his cousin here. We may have company on the way already."

He turned his attention to Tetsuya and worked quietly for several minutes before continuing.

"Orihime, you getting anything from Byakuya?" he asked finally.

"I have a heartbeat and he's breathing now," the young woman reported, "but he's comatose. I'm going to have to bring him back slowly."

"You do that. Ichigo, Tetusya's as stable as I can get him, for the moment. Just sit with him for a second while I make this place a little safer."

The shopkeeper stood and extended a hand as he breathed a soft incantation. Golden light lanced out of his hands and formed a strong barrier around the five. Kisuke frowned and shook his head discomfitedly.

"I really don't like this."

"It sounds bad," Ichigo said softly, stealing a glance at Byakuya's ghostly face, "Kinda makes me glad that I asked for time to think about whether or not I want to take a place in the Shiba family. I mean, they're less strict than the other clans and if I go to them and tell everyone about my connection to them, Byakuya thinks they'll reinstate the clan. It's just that, even though I'd be part of a more relaxed clan, I still have to deal with the others. I just don't know if I can do something like that. I know it'd be good to restore the family's honor, but…"

"You're right not to have jumped into anything," Kisuke agreed, "but I wouldn't let this stop you from considering revealing your identity. It is who you are, and bringing the clan out of banishment would be a good thing. The more reasonable people we have running Soul Society, the better. But, if it's not what's in your heart, it's okay not to do it too. You weren't raised in a noble home. You were raised a normal human kid."

"Except that I was never really normal," Ichigo sighed, "I don't know. I have no idea what I should do."

"Well," Kisuke said, smirking slightly, "sometimes getting away somewhere quiet can be helpful in getting a clear head and thinking things over."

"Getting away…" Ichigo repeated, glancing at Byakuya and Tetsuya, "You want me to go with you when you take Byakuya and…?"

"Tetsuya," the shopkeeper supplied.

"You want me to go with you when you take Byakuya and Tetsuya to wherever you're going to stash them? I don't know about that. If I disappear again, I may get kicked out of college. Kon isn't dumb, by any stretch, but he spends too much time chasing girls in my body. I'm going to get a bad reputation."

"Hmm, it's okay if you can't. I just don't like leaving you here, where you might be asked some uncomfortable questions or otherwise bothered by people looking for these two."

"I can just say I haven't seen any of you," Ichigo chuckled, "What? You don't think they'll believe me? You think someone would…?"

He glanced down at Byakuya again and a sharper twinge of worry passed through him.

"Kisuke, Byakuya's gonna make it, right? He's gonna be okay? I mean, I've been dead before and Orihime brought me back…"

"He'll come around," Kisuke assured his anxious friend, "Ol' Byakuya's a fighter. This was just a nasty blindside. It looks like he had no idea…"

The shopkeeper paused as Tetsuya stirred and moaned softly. He moved to the younger Kuchiki's side and touched his face gently, sending Tetsuya into a deeper sleep. Ichigo gave him a curious look.

"Didn't you want more information from him?"

"Not at the expense of having his systems collapse. Tetsuya's taken some really hard knocks too, I'm afraid. I want to be sure these two are out of the woods before we start interrogating them."

"I didn't mean we should interrogate them," Ichigo chuckled, relaxing slightly, "I just wondered what kind of monster could do this to Byakuya."

Kisuke paused, considering carefully.

"Sounds like a family made monster to me," he hedged cautiously, "The question is, who is the monster? Who sent him or her? Was this a subfamily shooting for leadership…or are one or more of the elders in cahoots?"

"What a mess," Ichigo sighed, relinquishing care of Tetsuya to the shopkeeper and taking up a position at Byakuya's side, "You know, things have always been a little complicated between Byakuya and me, but…I'm not going to just let someone hurt him. He's my friend."

Kisuke gave him an amused look.

"You two go back and forth a lot for friends," he teased gently, "I'd say there are a few sparks burning there."

"Shut up!" the ginger-haired man complained, "Don't even start. Byakuya's…"

He focused more closely on the injured Kuchiki leader's face and shook his head.

"I guess we don't know, if this was done by family," he said in a conflicted tone, "Does this mean he's not their leader? What do you think's going on?"

Kisuke was spared from answering as a new senkaimon opened in the training room and an aged, regal looking man stepped out. At the sight of him, the shopkeeper's eyes widened.

"That's Kuchiki Nori, leader of the elders," he explained, "I guess we're about to find out if that barrier's a good one."

Nori looked around the underground training room as Tessai flash stepped down from the shop to meet him.

"Good day, Nori-dono," Tessai said politely, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I hope so," the old man, looking around, then looking back at the other man, "I was hoping to speak with Urahara Kisuke."

Tessai smiled apologetically.

"My apologies, but Urahara-san is not here right now."

"Ah," Nori sighed, pausing to take a slow breath before speaking again, "I have…an _order_ I wish to speak to him about."

"I see," Tessai said quietly, "Can you tell me which order you are referring to?"

"_Two items_," the old man said, looking into the assistant shopkeeper's eyes, "I understand that they may have gone astray or been damaged. I am afraid I must cancel the order. I will need to place another order. I will be in touch with Kisuke about the details."

"Of course, Nori-dono, I will be sure that he gets the message."

Inside the barrier, Ichigo gave Kisuke a confused look.

"What the heck was that?" he asked, shaking his head in confusion, "Byakuya and Tetsuya are missing and he's here asking about…?"

"Two items," Kisuke repeated, nodding at the two unconscious men.

"Who may have been lost or damaged!" Ichigo added, more enthusiastically, "But, what was that about canceling and making another order?"

"It was a warning," the shopkeeper explained, "You see, when Ginrei was leader, I was close to both Nori and him. And you know some of the crap that goes on. We kinda took care of each other's interests. We always knew we could trust each other. And we developed some little signals. Now, what he just passed on to me is that it's not safe for him to tell me anything, and it's really not safe for Byakuya and Tetsuya to go home."

"So, he wants you to hide them and he'll get back to you?" Ichigo inquired.

"Exactly," Kisuke confirmed, "So, as soon as these two are stable, I'll need to move them to a safe house and protect them there until it's safe for them to go back."

Ichigo nodded.

"So, when do we leave?" he asked.

Kisuke smiled.

"You sure you want to disappear again? Worry your dad and sisters? Maybe miss a few classes and have Kon make the college girls think you're a pervert?"

Ichigo set his eyes on Byakuya's blood soaked body and deathly pale face.

"Yeah," he said determinedly, "Like I told you. Byakuya is my friend. Someone tried to kill him and there's no way they're getting away with it!"


	2. The Nowhere Place

**Chapter 2: The Nowhere Place**

Ichigo looked on anxiously as Kisuke opened a senkaimon and guided the two levitating stretchers, carrying Byakuya and Tetsuya's resting forms, through the opening. Kisuke and Tessai walked ahead, while Ichigo and an equally spooked looking Orihime followed.

"This isn't creepy at all," Ichigo muttered, "Hey Kisuke, didn't you tell me once that the precipice world is monitored by that freak, Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"

"I did say that," Kiuske affirmed, "But in case it slipped by you, we're not in the corridors generally used by the Gotei 13. This corridor is one that I opened up and concealed years ago. I use it at times when I need to get around quietly and quickly, or when I'm working with exceptionally dangerous things, or just things I don't want Central 46 to get wind of. There are a lot of little dimensions in this corridor. I intend to use one of them to conceal Byakuya and Tetsuya. We'll get them fully healed, then get to the bottom of what's going on here. While we're in here, we're safe from anyone coming in."

"That's good," Ichigo mused, "cause I don't think Byakuya or his cousin are in any shape to fight back. They've been unconscious for a long time, considering Orihime spent so much time stabilizing Byakuya, and Tetsuya's injuries were less serious than Byakuya's."

"Well," Kisuke chuckled, "let's not forget that when Byakuya arrived, he was clinically deceased before Orhime worked her magic, Even reviving him was hard, and waking him up is going to take time. Tetsuya's better off, but we couldn't apply Orihime's stronger healing powers to his healing, since she was occupied with keeping Byakuya alive."

"Right."

"When we get where we're going, I will put Byakuya in stasis."

"What?" Ichigo gasped softly, "Kisuke, isn't that pretty desperate? I mean, it's risky just putting him in that state, and then, it could be harder to wake him up, couldn't it?"

"Yeah," the shopkeeper sighed wearily, pausing to study two corridors that extended from the main one, then choosing the right path, "it's just that even with Orihime's power, Byakuya's spirit particles have been badly shocked, and they need time to settle so that further healing attempts don't actually cause a breakdown that could just destroy his body entirely."

"Destroy his body entirely?" Ichigo repeated, his eyes widening, "I didn't know that could happen."

"Well, as much as Orihime can reject damage, the damaged spirit particles have to be manipulated carefully so that they don't just destabilize. You and Byakuya have actually been in a similar situation when Tenjiro healed you in his hot spring in the royal realm."

"Right," Ichigo said, nodding as the memory returned to him, "Tenjiro said that the ones being healed in the pool could destabilize if they weren't resilient enough. Even his attendants in the room had to wear protective clothing to prevent the collapse of their reitasu. Tenjiro, Byakuya, Rukia, Renji and I were strong enough to resist the pressure, but less powerful shinigamis couldn't tolerate being healed there."

"Yeah, sometimes the cure is as brutal as the injury," Kisuke mused, slowing as he turned a corner and came to a dead end.

"Huh, did we turn a wrong corner?" Ichigo asked.

He made a sound of surprise as Kisuke extended a hand, and a doorway appeared in front of them. The shopkeeper smiled.

"Even though it's unlikely Central 46's goons will ever find this place, you can't be too careful, right?"

"Eh, I guess you're right," Ichigo answered, following as Kisuke led them through.

They emerged into a quiet grove of oak trees that surrounded a surprisingly modern looking building.

"What the heck?" Ichigo mused.

"It's my home away from home," Kisuke chuckled, "You know, cause sometimes we just all need to get away and nerd out, right?"

"I guess," Ichigo laughed, shaking his head, "But don't you pretty much do scientific stuff all of the time?"

"Sort of," the elder man explained, "but what I do back in Karakura Town is the stuff I have to do to see to my responsibilities there. You know, healing impossible wounds, putting people back together, thinking of ways to stop an unstoppable enemy. Here, I can indulge in some creative things, even things that might raise some eyebrows, back in Soul Society."

"So, crazy experiments," Ichigo said, frowning slightly, "You don't get as freaky as Kurotsuchi, right?"

"Not usually," Kisuke said, smirking, "I only resort to that out of necessity…because, as you already know, there are battles sometimes that you just can't afford to lose, even if that means stepping outside the lines."

"Right," Ichigo agreed hesitantly, "I guess you have a point there."

Kisuke led them to the front door of the building, then he unlocked the door and led them into a large, tastefully decorated entry. Tessai gave the shopkeeper a nod, then he guided the two levitating stretchers down a long hallway that ran, off to the left of the entry, with Orihime following behind. Kisuke guided Ichigo past the entry and into a huge great room that included a large kitchen, a dining area and several sitting areas.

"You know," Ichigo chuckled, "if I were you? I wouldn't ever leave here. This place is amazing! Did you build this?"

"Nah," the shopkeeper admitted, looking amused, "I just kinda confused the senses of some workmen I hired, and they built it for me. They never knew that they left the living world."

"Pretty crafty," Ichigo said, shaking his head in appreciation.

He sighed softly, looking in the direction that Tessai had gone.

"I just wish we were here to actually relax and enjoy the place. Kisuke, even when Byakuya and Tetsuya are healed, what're we going to do exactly? How do we know when it's okay to go back?"

"Oh," Kisuke said, giving him a sly smile, "I have my ways."

"Huh," Ichigo huffed, giving him a knowing look, "You have a way of being in touch with Yoruichi, even from here."

"Man, nothing gets past you, does it?" Kisuke chuckled.

The two men paused as Tessai returned to the room.

"Everything okay?" Kisuke asked.

"As well as it can be," Tessai reported, "Kuchiki taicho seems to have fully stabilized, so I don't think we'll have to resort to putting him in stasis."

"Well, that's good," Kisuke replied, "I'm not sure he would've handled being put into that state so well. If he's stable enough, let's give his body a chance to respond to the treatment without stasis."

"Orihime has been able to work on waking Kuchiki Tetsuya," Tessai added, "He is still groggy, but he is responding."

"Good," Kisuke said, nodding, "I'll go and check up on him. Why don't you get started on dinner? I'm pretty sure Ichigo's hungry and once Tetsuya-san wakes up, he's going to need to recharge."

"I'm on it, Boss," Tessai said, heading for the kitchen.

"I think I'll go and sit with Byakuya until the food's ready," Ichigo said, following Kisuke out of the great room and into the hallway.

Kisuke stopped by a door, halfway down the hall and pointed to the door at the end.

"Byakuya's in there."

"Thanks."

Ichigo walked to the end of the hall, pausing outside the door for a moment before he took hold of the handle and turned it, then swung the door open. Byakuya laid in the bed in front of him, his face still horribly pale, but his expression much more relaxed than the tormented one he had been wearing upon his arrival at Urahara's shop. Ichigo moved forward and sat down at his side, watching quietly as Byakuya's chest rose and fell at a slow, steady rate.

"You're looking better," Ichigo sighed, "although, it's only better than you were looking before, which was pretty awful, to be honest. What the heck happened to you? Tetsuya told us that the guy who did this said he was your son. Did he mean that you and Hisana had a son that we didn't know about? Or…"

He colored at the more invasive question he had almost spoken aloud.

_Could Byakuya have a child with someone else? I mean, he's mourned his wife for over fifty years, and, according to Rukia, he hasn't had another relationship since. And this son is grown, so it would have to have happened a long time ago. Was there someone before Hisana?_

Ichigo's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door to the bedroom opened and, to his surprise, Rukia and Renji stepped in to join him.

"Rukia! Renji! How did you guys get here? Did Yoruichi bring you in?"

"Yeah," Renji answered, his face falling as he took in the sight of Byakuya's deathly pale face, " Damn…Kisuke said it was bad, but I had no idea."

"Renji and I were with our divisions when we heard," Rukia added, her sad eyes focusing on her brother's troubled sleeping face, "We were worried that a shakeup in the Kuchiki family could affect us, even though I married out of the family when I married Renji, and we weren't living at Kuchiki Manor."

"Yoruichi found us," Renji explained, "and she warned us that if Kuchiki taicho was directly attacked, the two of us should leave quietly. She said that she's already seen Kyoraku sotaicho, and he authorized leave for us, so that we could come here. We met Uryu on the way, and he came to help out too."

"Heh, I guess we know why he really wanted to tag along, though," Rukia laughed, "He figured out Orihime'd gone off with Kisuke and wanted to come along to make sure she stayed out of trouble."

"What a nice guy," Ichigo chuckled, giving his friends an amused look.

Their smiles faded quickly.

"There is real trouble in the Kuchiki family," Rukia said sadly.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "Did you know that Tetsuya told us that the person who did this to them claimed that he is Byakuya's son?"

"What?" Renji said, giving him a shocked look.

"We just got here, and we hadn't spoken to Kisuke yet," Rukia explained, "What do you mean, Ichigo? What exactly did Tetsuya tell you?"

"Ah, he didn't say much, because he was in such bad shape, and he didn't stay conscious for very long. All he really said was that the guy claimed to be Byakuya's son. He didn't give any other details. He just attacked them."

"And from the looks of things," Renji said darkly, "I'd say, whoever he is, he's powerful enough that he could be telling us the truth."

"But, if he is Nii-sama's son, then Nii-sama obviously knew nothing about him," Rukia surmised.

"I guess what it boils down to is who this guy's mother is," Ichigo reasoned, "Tetsuya didn't give a description, but I think we can assume this was an adult."

"And that means that this could have been a child he fathered, either before or just after my sister's death," Rukia said, tapping her chin with a fingertip.

"Y-you don't think he…" Renji began.

"No!" Rukia snapped emphatically, "I know my brother, and I know exactly how much he loved my sister. There is no way that Nii-sama would ever be unfaithful to her."

"Okay, so this kid was born awhile back," Ichigo said, "but where has he been all of this time? And why did he come forward now? Why did he attack Byakuya and Tetsuya? Has anything been said publicly?"

"Not yet," Rukia said, frowning, "The family will keep quiet until the elders have met and agreed upon a formal statement. Yoruichi's going back to monitor things, so we'll get the news from her, as soon as there's anything announced."

"Until then, we wait," Ichigo sighed, looking down at Byakuya's drawn face again.

"There's nothing else we can do," Rukia said sadly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke stepped into Tetsuya's room and smiled as Orihime looked up at him with a weary, but pleased expression.

"Tetsuya-chan's doing much better," she said approvingly, "He's still very groggy and he keeps dozing off…"

"But, that's for the best, since he really needs the rest," Kisuke finished, "Tessai's making a mountain of food. Why don't you go on out and grab a bite? I'm going to have another look at Tetsuya, then I'll come and join you. We've all been burning the candle at both ends lately. We could use a little down time."

Orihime rose and stretched.

"Did Tetsuya say any more about what happened at Kuchiki Manor?" Kisuke asked.

"No," Orihime replied, "but he is really quiet. He knows me because he's been on duty at Kuchiki Manor while we were there, but I don't think he feels comfortable confiding just yet."

"Right, well, go on and get something to eat. I've got this."

"Thanks!" Orihime said, smiling as she headed out the door.

Kisuke turned back to Tetsuya, to find the younger man's hazy blue eyes open and looking up at him.

"Welcome back, Tetsuya-san," the shopkeeper greeted him cheerfully, "Thanks a lot for not dying on us."

"Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya inquired softly.

"He's fully stabilized," Kisuke said reassuringly, "and I don't know if you've sensed it, but we've left the living world and gone somewhere safer. I thought it was best, especially once your relative, Nori came and gave us a warning."

"Nori-dono came to you?" Tetsuya asked, looking alarmed, "Why would he take such a chance? He is an ally on our council, and a close, personal friend, but with Byakuya-sama's leadership being challenged..."

"It's okay," Kisuke assured him, laying a calming hand on Tetsuya's arm, "He didn't say anything incriminating. He knows that he's got to be careful."

Tetsuya shivered and blushed, looking back at him with a flustered expression.

"Yes, of course he does," he agreed, "I apologize for my reaction."

"Don't worry about it," Kisuke said amiably, "After what you've been through, it's understandable…although, you didn't really give us the whole story before you passed out, and Nori couldn't give specifics. So, what do you say? You mind giving us a little more information? I know you and I have just met…"

"But, Byakuya-sama trusts you," Tetsuya affirmed.

"Well, I don't know if he trusts me very much, but he knows I'll help him out if he needs it," Kisuke chuckled.

Tetsuya let out a shaky breath.

"He needs your help now, Urahara-san."

"Call me Kisuke," the shopkeeper invited him.

"Oh," Tetsuya said, the flush on his cheeks darkening, "but we barely know each other."

"We're not so formal here, in my little precipice dimension. See, since I claimed this world upon finding it, I'm kind of this world's leader. If I tell you to call me Kisuke, then you really should," Kisuke teased him.

"V-very well, Kisuke," Tetsuya answered, his blush deepening further, earning an affectionate look from the charmed shopkeeper, "Byakuya-sama and I do need your help quite badly."

Kisuke nodded.

"What can you tell me about what happened?" Kisuke inquired, "Was this a formal challenge or an attack out of the blue."

"Well, it was a surprise," Tetsuya explained, "Byakuya-sama and I were called to a special meeting of the council, so we went to the council hall together. The meeting was called to order, and my cousin, Orochi's father, Isas, issued a challenge to Byakuya's leadership on behalf of a previously unidentified main family heir."

"This person who claims to be Byakuya's son?"

"Yes," Tetsuya affirmed, "Of course, Byakuya-sama opposed the challenge and demanded proof that the young man was, in fact, his son."

"And I'm sure, knowing Isas and company as I do, that they had some proof?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"The boy was confirmed to be Byakuya-sama's and Hisana-sama's son!"

"What?"

"We thought it had to have been faked," Tetsuya said, shaking his head, "but the elders employed a method that put all doubt to rest. The man who challenged Byakuya-sama, is his own son!"


End file.
